'New Quest: cultivate your dragon skills and spirit for one week'.

[Reward: +1 to your Oracles stats] + [1 unknown extra reward].

​​

What? Two rewards for one quest? Pondered Yoichi, reflecting on the meaning of the blood writing. The young tamer wondered about the word 'cultivation'. Did it have to do with Therion's Tear? Ryutaro hadn't been very clear on how to cultivate his body and spirit.

It was clear that Yoichi's Demon Pet System was asking him to make his body stronger. The mysterious entity that generated those writings out of thin air each time followed Yoichi's growth step by step in his career as a professional tamer.

With only one dungeon, which had turned out to be much more than that, Kenji's level had grown considerably and with it, so had his tamer's level. Yoichi had a feeling that Ogai's words were true: more Void Summoners were ready to unleash the power of the Blackblood throughout Tentochu, and it was his duty to stop them.

Ryutaro secured the knots that tightened the reins of the two horses pulling the carriage. Beside them, Taya happily grazed the hill grass on which the two rescuers had led the two wounded tamers.

From the hill, which seemed to be the only green patch in the barren landscape of southern Tentochu, it was possible to see the woods leading to the entrance of the Blackvault Mines.

Yoichi narrowed his eyes and sharpened his vision, trying to identify among those trees the road he and his companions had traveled the night before. The forest was unrecognizable: the dense mud that enveloped everything was entirely gone, giving the vegetation room to grow and thrive.

Among the lower trees, a thin path was visible from up there. It meandered like a river up to the dungeon mountain. What looked like a quiet country road housed a fearsome giant boar demon and other wild beasts during that night.

Yoichi shook his head and then turned his gaze back to the carriage. A few feet away from him, Ryutaro and Shioko were leaning toward Enatsu's mat.

Without asking for his help, the gatekeeper and his teammate grabbed the ends of the durable woven straw mat and lifted it as if it were a stretcher.

The mat folded, and Enatsu's body remained inside its bends, swinging by the swaying footsteps of his rescuers and continuing to sleep. Rokuro slid gently onto his legs, cuddled by the movements of that sort of improvised hammock.

"Hey, wait a second! Let me give you a hand... ouch!" - an abrupt movement reminded Yoichi that it was not the time to make physical efforts. In the exact spot that had been hit by Ogai's mighty fists, his arms and back were still unable to move freely.

Ryutaro and Shioko approached Enatsu and his Moruba to the carriage. The bottom of the wooden carriage had been opened and a door made of planks dangled downward. With a simultaneous and coordinated effort, the two of them managed to position Enatsu on top of the carriage.

At the same time that Ryutaro closed the wooden door, another unexpected inscription appeared on the long side of the carriage. The blood of the Demon Pet System permeated the wood under the sun's rays.

'New Quest: forge a new weapon'

[Reward: instant maximum proficiency with the chosen weapon].

The writing disappeared as Yoichi's eyes followed the contours of the last letter. An extra quest? Yoichi tried to remember if it had happened before. His mind was clear but still confused by recent events.

I'd almost forgotten about the Tetsuiasa, Yoichi reflected. How is it possible that I can instantly be proficient with a weapon I've never used? I don't even know the basics of martial arts! I... I... wait... what's this strange feeling?!

As Ryutaro and Shioko made sure that the load of the carriage, including Enatsu, was securely strapped correctly in its place for a quite long journey, the veil covering the gatekeeper's face swung toward Yoichi's direction.

The young tamer clasped his head in his hands, pressing his palms to his temples. That strange movement also drew the gaze of Shioko, who stepped away from the carriage and took a step towards him.

"What the hell is wrong with me?! My head! My temples hurt! Aarrgh!" Yoichi trembled, unable to keep his eyes open. The young tamer fell on his knees from the pain that appeared soon after the bloody letters of the inscription vanished.

"Hey, what's wrong with... uh?" - Shioko's advance was stopped by one of Ryutaro's large hands, which grabbed her shoulder. The red-haired tamer looked at the gatekeeper for a moment. The elderly Dojo guardian shook his head, advising Shioko to stay back.

Yoichi broke the silence again, "Aaargh! The pain is unbearable! Kenji... Kenji, what's happening?! Are you fine?!" he exclaimed, straining to turn his head towards his oracle.

The little dragon was still on the straw mat. Its head was also bowed down and bobbing left and right as if a sharp pain permeated its brain.

"Screeak! Screeak!" - a grieved cry of pain followed those slow, aching movements: the scales on its back singed off and then lowered uncontrollably, while faint sparks appeared at the tip of its reptilian tail.

"What the hell is going on? Ryutaro-Sama..." Shioko stammered, standing still on the spot. Ryutaro's hand slid off her back. Although he did not know what was happening to his young pupil, he had a feeling that any attempt to help him would be futile.

Such pain inside his body could never be relieved from the outside. Yoichi was no ordinary warrior; the gatekeeper had a sense that his powers and the powers of his dragon were about to increase.

"AAARGH!" Yoichi's next scream was so loud that it startled the wild birds nestled at the foot of the hill. Along with the minor, harmless flying demons that populated the area, they took flight, moving away from the source of that sudden sound.